Reasons Why You Need a SharePoint Governance Policy

 

Understanding the importance of a SharePoint governance policy based on its usage in the company

As SharePoint usage grows, the pace, diversity, and volume of information and material created inside are becoming a significant barrier necessitating the automation of SharePoint governance. These barriers not only impede users from getting to the correct file on time and efficiently, but they also put the company's IT, privacy compliance, and resources at risk. Meanwhile, as the demand for this comprehensive solution grows in our everyday lives for various purposes such as portal collaboration, document management, and search, the barriers continue to rise. Simultaneously, setting up a SharePoint governance policy is difficult due to its complexity, and it begs the issue of whether it is genuinely essential.

This may be deduced from an awareness of the organization's SharePoint use. SharePoint governance policy can be complex or straightforward, depending on how extensive the use will be. Most users are expected to use essential features such as document management and group/team sites. For such limited usage, the governance may also be relatively rudimentary. On the other hand, adopting SharePoint at the organizational level improves productivity and helps achieve business goals. This implies a change in user behavior, making SharePoint usage more complex and necessitating improved SharePoint governance.

Understanding the complexity necessary for SharePoint governance is one thing; comprehending why governance is essential is quite another.

You see, the content flow should follow a defined life cycle, which includes managing an increasing number of sites, storage, and total content. An overabundance of material besets most businesses; most of it is repetitive. But where does one save this information? Who knows how long it will last? Yes, SharePoint provides the technology to address these issues, but the material on SharePoint can only be managed effectively with governance.

Another aspect that can only be handled by governance is data quality. SharePoint can store data, but who is ultimately accountable for its accuracy? Governance aids in the assignment of owners, which is essential for SharePoint optimization.

That's only the tip of the iceberg, though. Failure to set restrictions defining storage limitations might result in unexpected data expansion, causing the platform to operate slower and reduce efficiency. On the other hand, SharePoint governance may assist define storage boundaries by user or team, allowing for better space management starting from the individual level.

Data stewards are in charge of keeping content up to date and assuring its quality. If there is a substantial amount of out-of-date, erroneous, or inappropriate content in SharePoint, its perceived value drops. Worse, this fosters skepticism, which stifles user adoption, developing a vicious cycle that is incredibly difficult to break. 

The SharePoint governance policy should specify which SharePoint features are accessible to developers. All Service Applications are included, including Performance Point, Excel Services, InfoPath Form Services, SQL Server Reporting Services, etc. The supported services should be communicated to developers and operational workers. Because, in the case that a developer or vendor requests a possibly unavailable feature, the governance policy will decide the mechanism for assessing, authorizing, and implementing the new feature.

To conclude, the SharePoint solution is a powerful tool that has demonstrated its worth in various industries. Microsoft has also stepped up its game by improving the tool's built-in governance and privacy compliance. However, as the amount of data in SharePoint expands, a progressive governance policy that can handle and support the tool's built-in functionality becomes necessary.